Slow start downs Hamilton 55-21 against Unity Christian

Saturday

Oct 19, 2013 at 12:01 AMOct 19, 2013 at 7:04 PM

The Hamilton football team went down early against Hudsonville Unity Christian to eventually lose at home 55-21 on Friday. Unity scored 34 unanswered points in the first and second quarters, and the Hawkeyes couldn’t dig themselves out of the deficit despite scoring three straight touchdowns afterward.

“That was the story of the game,” Hamilton coach Chad Miller said. “They jumped on us fast and our kids were fired up at the start, but we couldn’t stop them. … We just couldn’t catch a break and they took advantage of everything.”

Staff reports

The Hamilton football team went down early against Hudsonville Unity Christian to eventually lose at home 55-21 on Friday.

Unity scored 34 unanswered points in the first and second quarters, and the Hawkeyes couldn’t dig themselves out of the deficit despite scoring three straight touchdowns afterward.

“That was the story of the game,” Hamilton coach Chad Miller said. “They jumped on us fast and our kids were fired up at the start, but we couldn’t stop them. … We just couldn’t catch a break and they took advantage of everything.”

The Hawkeyes (1-7) had four turnovers and 23 yards of total offense before getting their first touchdown. Hamilton then manufactured a seven-play 62-yard drive capped by a 38-yard scoring pass from Brady Mudd to Nathan Pando.

A fumble recovery set up the Hawkeyes next eight-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a 25-yard catch by Dylan Buresh.

At halftime, Hamilton was down 34-14, and came within 13 points at the start of the third quarter with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Hayden Smith.

“We opened it up and started to throw the ball around,” Miller said. “We started to go back and forth between run and pass.”

Unity (3-5) scored the next 21 points to end the game at the end of the third quarter and into the fourth.

Hamilton gained 104 yards on the ground to Unity’s 515. Through the air the Hawkeyes had 223 yards to 35 from Unity.

Mudd was 7 of 17 for 105 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran 12 times for 27 yards. Alec Overbeek also saw time at quarterback and was 11-19 for 118 yards with one interception. Pando led all receivers with two catches for 61 yards. Buresh had three catches for 57 yards and Smith had five for 34 yards.

On the ground, Heath Dannenburg carried the ball 10 times for 50 yards.

“The kids played hard and I’m proud of the way they played considering the way the season has gone,” Miller said. “It says a lot about them and they’re putting a lot of heart and sole into it each practice.”